Bhai Lachhman Singh Dharowali (August 1885 – 20.2.1921), son of Bhai Mehar Singh, was born at village Dharowali (district Gurdaspur). Later the family moved to Dharowali Chakk No. 33 (district Sheikhupura). As a child Bhai Lachhman Singh was a brave and strong boy. He had a very good physique. In 1901, he got married to Bibi Inder Kaur. A child was born to them in 1907. The child died after eight months. Bhai Lachhman Singh, though a farmer, tried business line too. He used to spend most of his earning for charitable purposes. In 1910, he joined Khalsa Parcharak Vidyala at Tarn Taran and passed a missionary course. In 1912, Bhai Lachhman Singh founded a female orphanage at Tarn Taran. In 1920 he arranged a Sikh Women Conference at his village. It was attended by several Sikh leaders. In those days, the Sikh shrines were under the occupation of the corrupt managers. These debauched managers had turned the Sikh shrines into centres of criminal activities. Persons like Bhai Lachhman Singh could not tolerate it. He began a movement for the liberation of the Sikh shrines. Nanakana Sahib (the birth place of Guru Nanak Sahib) was one of such shrines, which were under the control of debauched managers. On October 1-3, 1920, he organised a mammoth conference in his village. It was attended by leaders from all fields. This became the basis of the major phase of Gurdwara reform movement. On November 15-16, 1920, the S.G.P.C. was formed and the control of Darbar Sahib came into the hands of the Sikhs. During this period Bhai Kartar Singh Jhabbar and Bhai Lachhman Singh joined hands. On February 14, 1921, Bhai Lachhman Singh was elected the Jathedar of Khara Sauda Bar (Mararhi Chakk No. 42). On February 17, he was elected Jathedar of the newly formed Akali Jatha Bar. The S.G.P.C. planned to liberate the shrine at Nanakana Sahib too. A meeting of the Sikhs was arranged at Nanakana Sahib for March 4-6, 1920. Mahant Narain Das, the manager of Nanakana Sahib, planned a massacre of the Sikh leaders who would be attending the forthcoming Akali meeting. Bhai Lachhman Singh came to know about his designs. He, along with others, planned to occupy Nanakana Sahib, on February 20, 1921, when Mahant Narain Das would be attending a meeting at Amritsar. When the S.G.P.C. came to know about this, a meeting of the senior leaders was held. It was decided that a messenger should be sent to stop the Jatha of Bhai Lachhman Singh. Master Tara Singh, Bhai Dalip Singh and Bhai Waryam Singh were asked to contact Bhai Lachhman Singh. Per chance Master Tara Singh missed his train. On the other hand Bhai Dalip Singh too could not trace the whereabouts of the Jatha. Bhai Dalip Singh asked Bhai Waryam Singh to continue the search of the Jatha and he himself went to the factory of a local Sikh, Bhai Uttam Singh. Bhai Waryam Singh finally succeeded in finding the Jatha. He told Bhai Lachhman Singh about the decision of the S.G.P.C. The members of the Jatha, however, insisted that they had made an Ardas (prayer) and they won’t break their woe. After this the Jatha of Bhai Lachhman Singh went to Gurdwara Janam Asthan and entered the premises of the Gurdwara at about 5.45 A.M. Bhai Waryam Singh too joined the Jatha. The Jatha comprised of about one hundred and fifty Sikhs. The Sikhs went into the main shrine and began performing Keertan. Mahant Narain Das locked the main gates of the Gurdwara and began massacre of the Sikhs. Bhai Lachhman Singh was sitting Tabiya (attending) of Guru Granth Sahib, in the Chaukhandi (the central part of the shrine). The Sikhs locked the gates of this hall. Mahant Narain Das’s men tried to break open this door. When they did not succeed, they started firing from a hole in the door (already made for this purpose). Several bullets hit Bhai Lachhman Singh and the others. Several Sikhs were killed or wounded. Soonafter the door was broken. By that time only a child had remained unhurt; but, he too was killed. More than 130 Sikhs were butchered by him. Kerosene oil was sprinkled over the dead bodies of the Sikhs as well as over the wounded Sikhs. Several wounded Sikhs were burnt alive. Bhai Lachhman Singh’s head was severed by Mahant and his body was hanged upside down on a tree. Bhai Dalip Singh, who was present in the factory of Bhai Uttam Singh at that time, heard the sound of the bullets. He rushed to the Gurdwara to ask Narain Das to stop killing the Sikhs. He too was shot dead. Mahant Narain Das was, later, arrested and sentenced to death. The death sentence of the killer of more than 130 Sikhs was turned into life imprisonment by the “justice-loving” British Judge of the High Court. This was the most heinous killing of the century by that time.
(Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)